French Montana Accused of Stealing Beat for ‘Lockjaw’

French Montana is accused of stealing a beat from a budding producer for his 2016 hit song "Lockjaw," which also features Kodak Black.

According to Page Six, Moroccan producer Assil Youssef (aka Yo Asel) recently filed a federal copyright lawsuit against the Bronx rapper claiming he used his song "Sleep85" for "Lockjaw."

In his suit, Youssef said that he sent his song to Montana via e-mail in 2015 because he considered him a "role model of a successful artist from his own country." He alleges that Montana responded to his e-mail with "Send more."

Youssef said that he was excited at the prospect of working with Montana but nothing materialized. It wasn't until he heard "Lockjaw" in May 2016 that he was "shocked to learn that the instrumental track he had sent to French Montana months earlier was modified slightly and used – without (his) consent – as the beat for 'Lockjaw.'"

Youssef is seeking unspecified damages. Attorneys for French Montana had no comment on the matter. Meanwhile, Youssef's attorney, Peter Scoolidge, said "Our claim is that Asel wrote the instrumentals for a very successful French Montana Single."

"Lockjaw" appeared on French Montana's 2016 mixtape, Mac and Cheese 4 (aka MC4). The track has been certified platinum (1,000,000 million copies sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America.